Judgment Day For Leonard Fournette; Todd Bowles Praises Quickness, Explosion
July 27th, 2022
More Fournette photos below.
Joe was hoping Leonard Fournette might look to become a social media star by publicly peeling his shirt off after today’s opening day of training camp practice and doing a lap around One Buc Palace.
As serious Bucs fans are well aware, Fournette came under fatness fire for being too big at the Bucs’ mandatory minicamp in June.
Of course, several players arrive heavy in June but lock in to be ready for training camp six or seven weeks later. But it became a big deal after a report that he was pushing 260 in June. Lombardi Lenny denied he approached that weight, but the toothpaste was out of the tube and a lot of fans were looking for Lenny at today’s session. (Joe’s got a photo above and below).
Head coach Todd Bowles said he likes the late-July version of Lombardi Lenny.
“Leonard looked good. I don’t know too many players in the offseason that’s going to stay in shape year-round,” Bowles said, backhandedly acknowledging that Fournette was out of shape in the offseason. “As long as they’re in shape in training camp, he ran great in the tests yesterday. He’s explosive. He’s quick and we’re happy with him.”
Joe thought Fournette looked a little big but nothing remotely out of the ordinary. Joe saw him up close after practice, as well.
Hopefully, this is the end of the chatter when it comes to Fournette’s weight being a thing. As for other players whose weight has been discussed in the past, Joe will say Vita Vea doesn’t look in game shape, but receiver Tyler Johnson came back pretty ripped and stronger-looking in his lower body.
July 27th, 2022 at 12:08 pm
He looks like nobody will want to tackle him. Lenny the bull dozer and White are going to be a dynamic 1-2 punch
July 27th, 2022 at 12:10 pm
Locomotive Lenny: Activated
July 27th, 2022 at 12:14 pm
I actually think that would be a better playing weight for him , would help with his lack of power running . At 220 he has power of 200 lb back .
July 27th, 2022 at 12:21 pm
Competition!
July 27th, 2022 at 12:27 pm
What the deal with Vita? Dude maybe has a fitness motivation issue. Sad. He could be the most DL ever but doesn’t seem to have the want-to.
July 27th, 2022 at 12:29 pm
Read somewhere that he weighed 245 pounds and from the looks of the picture above the reports ain’t lying. needs to loose around 10 more pounds to get to his playing weight.
July 27th, 2022 at 12:34 pm
@Eckwood
My eyes, video replays, and the fact Fournette rushed for more yards after contact than he did before contact every year of his pro career say otherwise.
July 27th, 2022 at 12:52 pm
He is a large man physically. He is going to be in the heat for quite a while, so he will be streamlined for the season. If he is performing in drills and practice, he will be ok. Let the man get his grub on in the offseason. Locomotive Lenny sounds great btw.
July 27th, 2022 at 1:39 pm
Lombardi Lenny looks more like a thumper than a speed guy. I like what Dooley said. “Locomotive Lenny”
July 27th, 2022 at 1:55 pm
Fournette is a young man turning into a full grown man. Of course he is getting bigger. And better. Big men can run. Craig Heyward.
As for Johnson, it is really encouraging that he came in ripped after last year.
July 27th, 2022 at 2:34 pm
If I were the “260” version of Lenny (assuming that version ever existed) I’d be a very happy man today.
July 27th, 2022 at 2:53 pm
All the weight in the world will neither help nor hurt his biggest problem, his feet quit moving on contact.
July 27th, 2022 at 3:27 pm
Brandon – what? Dude – check his Yards After Contact (YAC) stats. Come on now…
July 27th, 2022 at 3:28 pm
Brandon – what? Come on man – check his Yards After Contact (YAC) stats. Think – then speak.
July 27th, 2022 at 4:10 pm
LFG!!! Lard A$$ Lenny
July 27th, 2022 at 4:29 pm
Goatfarmer, Vita is paid to play NT and absorb double teams, not jazzercise in rainbow spandex. Spare us.
July 27th, 2022 at 4:36 pm
Hey Brandon – did you watch the Superbowl that we won 2 years ago? Pretty clear that his feet didn’t “quit moving on contact”. It was the Chief’s feet that quit moving – actually – their feet were pointing to the sky.
July 27th, 2022 at 5:02 pm
It looks like Fournette lost a bit of weight, he’s not as fat as he looked during the OTAs. He looks like he’s wearing one of those “girdles” that some overweight linemen wear to sweat out the weight. I’ve always thought those things were placebos anyway.
Fournette is listed at 228 lbs., but something tells me he really hasn’t been at that weight for a while. He looked bigger than 228 last year. In a roundabout way, that’s good news as I think he needs to shed maybe 10 to 12 lbs, rather than say 17 lbs.
July 27th, 2022 at 5:27 pm
Lenny looks thick.
July 27th, 2022 at 6:56 pm
@Passingthru
If you’re talking about the harness that looks like a sports bra and says “catapult” it’s not for weight loss it’s a data tracker for players. Girdles are leg wear, mostly compression shorts pads can be inserted in to, if players really want to lose weight there are compression shirts designed for just that. I used to have to cut weight for football & wrestling, all that was needed was a hoodie, garbage bag, and a whole lot of running.
July 27th, 2022 at 7:27 pm
What games have you guys been watching that day Lenny doesn’t run through contact? Dumbest thing I’ve heard on here this year and that’s saying something
July 27th, 2022 at 7:47 pm
he’ll prolly drop a 10 spot in camp…
opening the season around 235…
235 sounds about right to me
July 27th, 2022 at 8:18 pm
@Dooley
Thanks, that is something I didn’t know. That’s a bit modern.
Back when I played football in high school, some of the linemen wore these waistbands in an effort to lose weight, we (those of us who didn’t wear them) jokingly called them girdles. I don’t think they really worked. Supposedly it keeps heat on the player’s midsection, where it is supposed to melt the fat away. It sounds like rubbish, but some guys wore them.
That’s what I thought Fournette was wearing. Fournette’s trainer believes that a sauna can help you lose weight (other than water weight). Anyone who is willing to believe that sauna is going to melt fat away is apt to believe that those waistbands will work too.
July 27th, 2022 at 9:18 pm
@PassingThru
Yea, waist trainers are ineffective and kind of do more harm to your core than they do good in terms of losing weight. Steam Saunas are great for muscles in terms of relaxation but you’re not losing mass in those. I’ve never had the courage to sit in a dry sauna for more than 5 minutes, just something about feeling like a rotisserie chicken that never sat right with me. Though, living in New England they do feel pretty awesome in the dead of winter.
The catapult data sensor they all wear are sports data trackers, think what an Apple Watch or Fitbit does, but with much more data being processed. The data collected is run through software, so trainers can tell how players are exerting themselves and optimize workouts/performance via what they see. If I’m not mistaken, a new innovation with the vests are they can be tailored to set a bar for the individual wearer and allows staffs to alter methods of optimization based on positional groups. Got a crash course on those visiting a buddy of mine that played for the Bills, he and his brother are trainers now working with high school and college kids here in the northeast.
July 28th, 2022 at 3:10 am
Big, a little slower, not a problem….but can still bust through….hey guys, we need this…we have Mr White as our bell cow now (GF job on that pick Mr Light).
All good 🙂